Ironically, an epic thunder-and-hail storm predicted for Wednesday afternoon, March 26, kept away many of those who’d signed up for a workshop entitled “Intro to Stormwater: Solutions for Healthy Waterways”.

Dire weather forecast notwithstanding, the day’s speaker – as well as the East Multnomah Soil & Water Conservation District (EMSWCD) event organizer, Cat Ayala – were ready for those who did brave the weather (which turned out to be a light spring shower), and ventured out to the “SymbiOp Garden Shop”, next to DeNicola’s Restaurant on Powell Boulevard, for this free seminar.

“We start off with an introduction to the sources and effects of urban stormwater pollution,” landscape designer Lora Price, of “Design with Nature”, told THE BEE. “Then, we’ll explore a variety of actions people can take to help slow the flow of rainwater on their property, and help improve the environment.”

Some suggestions that property owners can use to mitigate stormwater are:

• Identify where rain is flowing on your property, and redirect it to where it can soak in the ground to prevent erosion, soil compaction, and pollution.
• Create “rain gardens” with plants that naturally clean and purify stormwater.
• “De-pave” hard surfaces, to allow stormwater to soak into the ground.
• Keep the ground covered with mulch

“All this adds up to a major part of keeping pollutants and chemicals out of our waterways,” Price said. “Even in urban settings, the impact doing such simple things has a real positive impact on our groundwater and waterways!”

To learn more about Lora Price, and “Design with Nature”, go online –  https://designwithnature.design

And, to discover all of the knowledge provided by the East Multnomah Soil & Water Conservation District, most of it online, visit their website – http://www.emswcd.org